OPINION

Headless chickens

So, on Jan 8 we had the headline "Gov u-turns on Mor Chana" concerning the tracking device Mor Chana. And "Covid travel permit 'impractical'" concerning interprovincial travel documents. And with many other backtracking moves by those in power, it once again shows that decisions are made without thinking them through.

It's hard enough for citizens going through this Covid crisis without having to cope with impractical and unenforceable rules made by those who appear to be running around like headless chickens. The golden rule must apply. Think first. act later.

Nothing gets done

Re: "SET fares poorly on returns", (BP, Jan 6).

Thailand is faring much more poorly than Vietnam in the economic front: for 2020, our GDP shrank by 6% (source: NESDB) vs Vietnam's rise of 2.91% (source: General Statistics Office of Vietnam; thanks to @jp Tuggener for sharing) -- a whopping 8.9% gulf.

Our economy was ailing before Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha overthrew the elected government, promising prosperity "in a short time". But obviously he hasn't delivered, despite having had absolute power and having appointed the election commissioners and all senators before standing for office.

In fighting corruption, Gen Prayut's staunchly defends keeping an ex-convict jailed for four years for smuggling 3.2 kilogrammes of heroin as a key cabinet minister. He also hasn't acted on the recommendations of the Vicha Mahakhun panel to track down the many law enforcement officials who received bribes to let Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya stay free.

But "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" (Edmund Burke). Why have you, sir, and madam, let our beloved country get in such sorry straits?

Jabs a pipe dream?

David Brown's question in his Jan 6 letter, "Do expats get the jab?" is clearly rhetorical. I believe he knows very well that expats will not have access to the government's limited supply of Covid vaccines, even if they are willing to pay for them. Apart from a small number of foreign residents, who received Gold Cards before they changed the rules, expats, even if they are permanent residents, are not eligible for the Thai Universal Healthcare system. Expats will be expected to pay the market rate for imported vaccines from private hospitals, if and when they are able to import supplies and get them approved by the Thai FDA.

Although David Brown's point is well made, a more pressing question is whether the government will vaccinate the estimated 3-4 million foreign migrant workers. The legal migrants have some sort of government health coverage that they have to pay for, although it is not clear whether this will cover vaccination. However, up to half of the migrants are estimated to be undocumented.

While the government is planning to give them work permits, it remains to be seen how this will work out on the ground and whether it will lead to universal vaccination of migrant workers. Given that the migrant workers have to live and work in cramped conditions which enable the virus to spread easily, it is incumbent on the government to have all of them vaccinated. This will involve increasing the supply of vaccines beyond what the government has already announced which seems barely adequate to vaccinate 50% of the Thai citizen population, whereas vaccination of about 70% of the population is needed to achieve herd immunity.

Exploiting migrants

Why is the Thai government so obsessed with using migrant workers when there are plenty of Thai workers that need a job and have been economically damaged due to Covid measures and lockdown? Unemployment is currently rampant along with under-employment.

There is no need at the moment for migrant workers and government programmes expending money and resources to "help" them. This effort should be expended on the Thai people only! Migrants are brought in for exploitation and cheap wages. Same as with most countries.

These migrants all come from countries that are having problems countering Covid due to their governments' negligence and ineptitude. Why then should Thailand shoulder the financial and health burden of others when it cannot take care of itself?

POWs in own nation

Re: "'I know nothing!'", (PostBag, Jan 8).

Samanea Saman, thanks for the memories of after-school TV show that flooded back with your apt noting of Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon's "great impersonation of Sgt Schultz, from the 1960s sitcom, Hogan's Heroes". I have, however, one little quibble: in many cases, Sgt Schultz's professions of perfect ignorance were not entirely incredible.

If I might develop the comparison a little, let us hope that Thailand's heroic Hogans, also hounded by brutish authorities inflicting morally stunted laws, are spending their New Year break hatching well-planned stratagems and digging tunnels to help collapse the foundations of the unnatural perversion of rule under which the authoritarian thugs have made the Thai nation POWs in their own country for nearly seven years in a long tradition of such internment by law and order.

But that raises questions: for one, if Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is the vain, cowardly, bungling Col Klink, who is his German boss, the ultimate architect of the farce?

Rallies very different

It is sad and unprecedented to watch Trump supporters protest and then see Capitol Hill under siege. Some Thais conflate the US incident with the recent student protests in Thailand. However, the root causes of the protests are very different. In the US, the protest was instigated and fired up by the selfishness of President Trump. In Thailand, it was the dissatisfaction of the newer generation worrying about the security and livelihoods of their future, considering the dictatorial nature of the military-backed government.

The Prayut government came to power claiming to bring peace and reconciliation to the country, despite the fact that it was Suthep Thaugsuban's shutdown of Bangkok that led to the military coup. We have no clear evidence as to whether Mr Suthep planned with the military the coup beforehand, but circumstantial evidence tends to point to that. Mr Suthep and the yellow shirts time and time again shut down Bangkok, Government House and the airport, causing massive economic consequences for the country.

Unlike the protest at Capitol Hill, the Thai police force indiscriminately used water cannon firing irritant chemicals on unarmed students who protested peacefully. Worst of all, the violent protest in US was instantly condemned by the press and some members of the Trump cabinet have now resigned to voice their disagreement with Mr Trump's actions.

For Thailand, members of the Prayut cabinet strongly come out supporting the actions of the police. The use of force by Thai police against the students was never reprimanded but instead the government stepped up the intimidation by enforcing laws such as Section 112. There can be no comparison between the protest in US which should be called an insurrection with those in Thailand where the activists rightfully and peacefully expressed freedom of expression.

At the end, in the US, it is business as usual to uphold democratic principles but in Thailand there would probably be a military coup. We all just hope that for another two weeks while Mr Trump is in power, he will not wreak havoc on the country.

Falling from grace

The United States of America rose from rags to riches and maintained its place on the pedestal of world democracy for nearly 250 years.

It took only a few hours to fall from grace, from riches to rags, due to a loud-mouthed, egomaniac with no sense of morality, justice or common sense. Perhaps Americans will now think twice and look into the character of the people they vote into public office, to whom they entrust their "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness".

Educating readers

Re: "Terms which misdefined 2020", (Opinion, Jan 1).

Kudos to the Post for running this brilliant and thought-provoking article. It absolves you from the sin of running the trashy, tabloid-worthy oinkings of Mae Moo and entitles you to the motto "The Newspaper of Intellectual Fecundity".

I for one had no idea what a black swan is, and assumed that "exponential" means "doubled". So you have contributed considerably to the dispelling at least some of the ignorance from my poor brain. I'm sure other readers feel the same way.

Cartoon derangement

Cartoonist Matt Davies surely suffers from TDS. He appears, in the matter of Donald Trump, totally obsessed, undeniably a true hater, who uses his "artistic" licence to present an alternative reality that is often 180 degrees from truth, fact and evidenced reality. His images are lazily drawn and presented. The Bangkok Post deserves better.

It's nice to dream

About a year ago, I went to the Thai embassy in a major European city and presented documentation to obtain a retirement visa for Thailand. The visa section staff were amazingly professional and courteous. They cheerfully reviewed my paperwork and even told me not to worry about one missing document that they said was "not very important". A day later, when I stopped by to pick up my passport, the Consul General himself actually came out from his office and greeted me warmly. As he handed me my passport -- bearing a stamp for a five-year, multiple-entry retirement visa -- he stated how pleased he was that I had chosen to retire in Thailand and expressed appreciation on behalf of the Thailand government for my decision.

A few weeks later, when I arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport, I was pleasantly surprised by the warm smile and gracious wai given to me by the neatly dressed immigration officer who efficiently processed my entry. Respectfully returning my passport to me with both hands outstretched, she cordially stated, "Welcome to the Kingdom of Thailand. We hope you enjoy your time here. When you've settled on a place to live, please inform the immigration office in the province where you will reside, and if you have any problems don't hesitate to contact the local officials. They'll do everything they can to help make your stay with us more pleasant."

About that time, I was rudely jolted out of my peaceful dream by the irritating sound of my alarm clock, reminding me that I had to leave early to go to the immigration office to renew my annual visa and complete my 90-day reporting requirement -- the latest of about 40 such trips I've made in the past decade.